So in the wake of the end of Dungeon it brings up an interesting question (partly because I'd like at some point to go back and buy them). Assuming all the adventures throughout the Greyhawk centered era of Dungeon are actual historical events what ten would you say would sages mark as the hallmarks of the age? I can't do more than toss out a few suggestions--since part of my reason for asking is I never really followed Dungeon until close to the end. But those of you who read every issue, played through every encounter--which of these adventures form turning points for the setting?
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I'd actually argue that the events in Cauldron would likely not be reported as more than a footnote in history. Not much of what took place actually occured on the material plane and no long-term change occured in the world (if the PCs did their jobs). I agree that the Age of Worms and the Savage Tide both would be major historical events.
I'd maybe bring up the death of that god in "The Quicksilver Hourglass".
I think only the most recent material, in particular the APs, can easily be thought of as Greyhawk specific historical events. Most of the rest of the issues exist generally as a resource. Beyond that the writers guidelines have always pretty much encouraged the adventure writers not to mess up the DMs campaign world. Even during the Paizo era you were not really allowed to design adventures that where meant to make history. The DM who ran these adventures might well work it out so that they were important to history. I certainly did and in fact still do but the design of the adventure itself should not require this sort of thing as screwing around with the fundamentals of the DMs campaign is the job of the DM and not of an adventure writer who has no idea what your campaign is like.
Wow. I really got the impression there was more that went on. I figured Kyuss would figure prominantly. I would have also imagined the incidents surrounding the Savage Tide--not the resolution or the grand plot, so much as the results of 28 Days Later hitting the coasts of Greyhawk--the only guys who haven't been spending the last decade getting worked over by Iuz. I really don't know enough about the other earlier APs to really know. Maure Castle always seemed full of portent, like it was something big and important, though I don't know a thing about it. It just felt like it was up there with Temple of Elemental Evil in terms of BIG adventures. Cauldron though, yeah, always felt like a relatively more small scale set of adventures--though from what I understand it resolves itself in a huge planar spelunk through the Abyss--so I guess it's not as close-knit a story as I'd imagined.
Though I really have almost no exposure to Dungeon really. I got on the boat so late--only have maybe five issues total. Shame really.
One of the barbarian kings was killed off in the Beowulf-style adventure whose name eludes me at the moment...
I think you mean "Ill Made Graves". I'm making it a point of playing through all the Paizo-era Greyhawk adventures :)
Oh, and the old Earl of Sterich bites it in the Istivin trilogy.
As fate would have it, the last adventure I ran through before taking a brief hiatus. I thought about saving the Marquis Querchard at the end, but for thematic reasons had the, ah, possessing abyssal spirit kill him off once it realized I intended to try and return him to power w/ his mind restored.
